'Miss Saigon' still a grand spectacle, 25 years on

The Associated Press

Posted:
05/22/2014 06:55:50 AM MDT

LONDON (AP) — "Miss Saigon" has returned to London, helicopter and all — but will it take off?

Impresario Cameron Mackintosh has revived Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's musical 25 years after its debut, in a glitzy, big-budget production that filled critics with admiration, if not love.

"Miss Saigon," a tragic Vietnam War love story inspired by Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," ran for a decade in London from 1989.

Critics praised the new production's spectacle, though some felt the show failed to touch the heart.

The Daily Telegraph on Thursday called it a "superbly slick, powerfully acted and splendidly sung revival," while The Guardian praised its "exemplary vigor."

Mackintosh says he's not too worried about reviews — the show has already recouped its 4.5 million pound ($7.5 million) budget in ticket sales.